Free Online Service for Mexico

Travelers can now take the information superhighway to Mexico, thanks to a new free service called Mexico Online.

The service, offered by the Mexican Government Tourist Office, provides information on transportation, hotels, restaurants, festivals and attractions. There is also a library of travel articles that have appeared in newspapers, magazines and newsletters, and a sampling of travel books. Callers can ask questions, post messages, search for discount air fares and download travel information from the tourist office.

Anyone with a modem on a computer can log on by dialing (407) 582-7801. Users do not need to belong to any access service.

Terminal 2 Opens at Frankfurt Airport

Frankfurt International Airport, second largest in Europe after London’s Heathrow, has opened a new terminal housing 20 international airlines, including four U.S. carriers. Delta, Continental and Northwest moved into the new Terminal 2 last week and USAir is expected to follow suit.

The airport, which gets scores of international flights every day, is likely to be the gateway to Germany for many travelers. About 32.5 million passengers per year, or 100,000 a day at peak periods, pass through its doors.

However, for another million tourists, the airport itself is a destination; in fact, it is Germany’s second largest tourist attraction, trailing only the Neuschwanstein Castle near Munich as Germany’s most popular tourist spot, according to airport officials. “With over 52,000 employees, restaurants and shops, the airport is a city in itself, and we get tourists like any other city,” said Robert Payne, airport spokesman. Also, the airport’s shops are open late and on Sundays, when all German stores are closed by law. McDonald’s has built its largest restaurant in Germany at the airport.

New Museum of the American Indian

The George Gustav Heye Center, the first of three branches that will eventually constitute the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, opens today in New York City.

The museum’s collection of more than 1 million objects has been described as one of the most comprehensive collections of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. It was assembled over 54 years, beginning in 1903, by George Gustav Heye, a New York banker.

Three inaugural exhibitions are on display at the center, which is housed in the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, next to Battery Park in Lower Manhattan. A series of free public programs, including dance and music, a powwow, theater performances, and film and video festivals are planned.

The three exhibits are:

“All Roads Are Good: Native Voices on Life and Culture,” “Creation’s Journey: Masterworks of Native American Identity and Belief,” and “This Path We Travel: Celebrations of Contemporary Native American Creativity.”

The museum, 3753 Broadway, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and admission is free. For information, call (212) 283-2420.